Fuel line testing



NOV. 2, 1943. -r 2,333,252

FUEL LINE TESTING Filed March 21, 1941 Patented Nov. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Bruno MLIkerigElgin, .IlL, assignor to Warner Patterson Company, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application March 21, 1941, Serial No. 384,473

' 2 Claims.

This invention has to do w-i'thpressure testing apparatus and relates more-particularly to apparatus connectible with the fuel feed line for engine-driven vehicles'to facilitate ascertainment of whether an obstruction is'lodged therein.

Theprim'ary ob ject'of 'the present invention is the provision of anovel and effective fuel line testing apparatu'sembodied in a simple structure that'is conveniently attachable to a fuel feed line to enable one to immediately determine whether it is open or clogged.

A more specific objectof this invention is the provision, in'apparatus for testing the flow capacity of a fuel delivery line as for internal combustion engine, of a newfastening means substitutable for standard'fa'stening means of said line'but also having a passage functional in the provision of an operable communication between a pressure gauge-and the interior of such line.

These and other desirable objects inherent in 1 Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken axially through I? a bolt constructed in accordancewith the principles of this invention.

There is shown in Fig. 1, a'fueI-pump and filter unit l including a cup-like casing'wall member H of conventional structure and which is in the form of a complicated casting. A liquid fuel as gasoline is drawn into the unit I!) through a conduit l2 which leads from a fuel tank or reservoir (not shown). Such fuel is discharged from the unit through a conduit l3 which ordinarily leads to the engine carburetor, (not shown). Thus the unit l0 comprises a portion of the fuel feed line.

Communication of the conduit 12 with the interior of the unit is had by means of an opening M in the casting II and fuel passing inwardly of the unit through said conduit and. said opening fills the cavity IS in said casting and passes upwardly through a reticulated filter disk l6 which is clamped at its circumferential edge portion between the upper cylindrical end of the cast ing H and a circular seat ll about the lower edge of a closure cap l8, the latter being pressed into shape from sheet metal. Said cap I8 is apertured at 19 to receive the shank of a bolt 20 of which the lower threaded end is turned into Lil a threaded *recess 2! in an upwardly'projecting boss 22 forming a part of thecasting H. Thus when the bolt is turned downwardly'into the recess 2| the head thereof will be brought to bear against a gasket 23 for sealing the opening i9 and for retaining the cap member l8 and the filter disk [6 tightly in sealing relation with the upper end of the member I l.

The filter disk I6 is provide-d with a'substantially central opening 24 which slides closely over a reduced upper end portion of the boss'22'and fits snugly against a shoulder 25 upon said boss. A-n eccentrically disposed opening 26 in said filter disk receiv'esan upper end portion of a second boss, 21, also integral with'the' casting H, and its edge fits in 'sealingrelation with a shoulder 28 on this boss member.

After'the' fuel is filtered by passing upwardly through the filter member I 5, it passes down- Wardly' through a passage 29 in the boss 21 and thence through avalve '39 and a channel 31 of the casting H into a chamber'32 formed between the lower end of the casting and a pump diaphragm member'33. The peripheral edge of the 'diaphragm 33 is hermetically clam'pedbetween a mounting members for the casting H and anannular face portion 35 about the lower edge of said casting whereby a pulsating pressure condition can be created in the chamber 32'when 'the' diaphragm is laterally deflected reciprocally by an operating stem 35 which in turn is operated by engine driven means (not shown).

The valve 39 is the intake valve and includes a reciprocal 'head 3'! "urged against a seat 38 by means *ofa spring 39. An exhaust valve unit 40 includes a-rigid plate' 4 I having an opening 42 and hermetically-connected over the mouth of an exhaust'port 13 by any'standard fastening means such as screws 44; A thin resilient metal flap A5 is connected to the member 4| at one side of the opening 42 and normally lies flatly upon the upper face of the member 4| in closing relation with said opening but is adapted to be flexed upwardly for uncovering such opening as in the manner illustrated.

In the operation of the pump and filter unit Ill, while the diaphragm 33 is drawn downwardly into the position shown in dotted lines the pressure in the chamber 32 will be decreased whereby the valve head 31 will be unseated While compressing the spring 39 and fuel will be drawn into the chamber 32 from the fuel tank (not shown) through the conduit 12, the interior I5 of the casting l I, filter member I 6, passage 29, the valve unit 30 and channel 3!. Pursuant to the succeding upward stroke of the operating stem 36, the pressure in the chamber 32 will be increased to augment the force of the spring 39 in closing the intake'valve unit 30 while pressing the resilient valve flap 45 upwardly for uncovering the opening 42 wherefore the fuel is forced outwardly of the chamber 32 through the port 43, a passage 46, and outwardly of the pump through the conduit I3 to the carburetor (not shown).

In the proper operation of a vehicle engine it is essential, of course, that the fuel line shall be unobstructed, and therefore the tuning or adjusting process for an improperly performing engine usually includes the step of ascertaining whether there is an obstruction in the fuel line. The contemporary method of executing this step is to disconnect the fuel line at an end where a source of compressed air can be connected and blowing a stream of such air into the line. Obviously this step is necessarily time consuming and isufrequently unnecessarily performed because of the fuel line having been unobstructed. This invention contemplates a simplified structure which maybe easily and quickly connected in the fuel line for testing whether the same is clogged and thus whether the step of blowing out an obstruction is necessary.

My improved testing apparatus includes a fastening member orbolt 41 shown in Fig. 2 which has physical characteristics and structure enabling. it to be substituted for the bolt 20 insofar as concerns holding theca-p l8 and the filter member [6 in assembly with the casting II. The bolt 41, however, further includes a recess 43 counter-bored to form a passage 49. sage 49 extends downwardly into the shank of the member 41 where it connects with a lateral bore '50. This passage 49 and bore 50'are superposed in dotted outline in Fig. 1 in association with the bolt 20 to illustrate the relation with respect to the unit l that these parts would occupy when the bolt 41 is substituted for the-bolt 20. There is also shown in Fig. 1, a conduit which connects with a vacuum or reduced pressure indicator gauge generally designated 52. It will be seen that when the bolt 4'! is substituted for the bolt 20-that the gauge 5| will operatively communicate with the interior of the casting ll throughthe conduit 5|, the passage 49 andthe bore 50. When the gauge 52 is so associated with the fuel line upon the upstream side of the inlet valve 30, the vacuum created at this section of the fuel line during operation of the pump diaphragm 33 will be of a normal amount when the fuel is being drawn through an unobstructed fuel line and a greater amount in the event said line should contain an obstruction It may therefore be ascertained from the pressure reading of the gauge 52 whether the line is closed.

The pas- My improved apparatus is particularly unique and useful in that its part 41 for connecting with the fuel line uses the same threaded recess as standard fastening means and further in that while said part is so connected it is also operable to perform the mechanical functions of the part which it temporarily replaces. Consequently no special accessories or machining are necessary for the fuel line in adapting it to be conveniently tested.

Changes may be made in the form,'construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed:

.1. In testing apparatus of the character described for testing the fuel line of an internal combustion engine in which the fuel line extends between a fuel'tank and a suction chamber of a fuel pump and wherein said suction chamberhas a removable wall portion fastened to the pump by a fastening member extending through the chamber; the combination of a member mechanical features enabling it to be substituted for said fastening member and further having a channel communicative between the interior and the exterior of said chamber when so substituted, and a gauge for reading reduced pressure connected with said member and communicative through said channel with said chamber to-indicate the degree of vacuum therein and hence whether the flow capacity of said line is normal.

2. In testing apparatus of the character described for testing the fuel line of an internal combustion "engine in which the fuel line extends between a fuel tank and a suction chamber of a fuel pump andwherein said suction chamber has a removable wall portion fastened to the pump by a fastening member of which a portion projects through said chamber intoscrew-threaded relation with a part thereof for holding the parts of the chamber in assembly; the combination of a threaded member of dimensions enabling it to be substituted for the fastening member in performing the aforesaid mechanical function and further having a channel communicative between the interior and exterior of said chamber when so substituted, and a gauge forreading reduced pressures connected with said threaded member and communicative through the channel therein with said chamber to indicate the degree of vacuum therein and hence whether the flow capacity of the fuel line is normal.

BRUNO M. IKERT. 

